


John Harrison's Diary: Prisoners

by startrekfan



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Drama, Emotional, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship, Inner Dialogue, Science Fiction, Space Battles, Space Pirates, character evolution
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-30
Updated: 2016-06-16
Packaged: 2018-07-11 06:19:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7033150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/startrekfan/pseuds/startrekfan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I wrote this fanfiction based on Khan from the Star Trek Into Darkness film.<br/>This adventure takes place during the year Khan remained under Marcus control.</p><p>During that year as Marcus' slave, Khan was ordered to take a mission that seemed simple at first, attend to a meeting about the story of weapons, but before he could reach that objective, him and his crew will cross paths with very dangerous enemies.<br/>Khan, still under the name John Harrison, will have to remain alive and protect those around him without revealing his true identity as an augment, facing asteroid zones, space pirates and much more...</p><p>The images I used were edits I made for the fic.<br/>You can find more of my edits here: khanfanrp.tumblr.com/tagged/edits</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The white haired woman.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like it!

Everything happened while I, Khan Noonien Singh, was working for the Star fleet under Alexander Marcus' menaces.  
It was a mission in space.  
I was among the ten crew members of the small ship. Our objective was to meet another Star Fleet team who would be working in a spacial base, but we never reached our destination.

You wonder why...? Oh, be patient...I shall tell this story in detail...

 

The orders had been clear. Marcus wanted me to join a crew in a mission in order to meet with a special team who was working in one of his secret projects near Jupiter. I had to interrupt my work in the Section 31, what made quite nervous at the time. I was still developing the portable transwarp beaming device, the project which would be the key from my freedom and the freedom of my crew in a year or so. Well, at least it was what I had hoped...

I hadn't slept the previous night, worried about my destiny, worried about my crew. Each second that passed could be the end for them all since too prolonged cryogenic sleep can be fatal...but I had no choice but to obey to Marcus's orders.  
I had gotten to the room where each one of the crew would have to read a document explaining about our mission.  
When I read about the fact we would be leaving the Earth, my heart almost skipped a beat, I didn't quite know the exact reason at the time...but now I know it was despair. I would have the chance to leave that laboratory, that horrid place called "Section 31" for a while...but at the same time, I would be dragged away from my crew, my plans would suffer a delay and maybe the worst of all, freedom would be rubbed against my face while I knew heavy chains still tied me to Admiral Marcus' disgusting hands.  
I would have never been able to try my escape alone. I would never leave my crew behind, I knew Marcus would make them suffer if I tried anything, so my only option was to remain quiet and follow orders, and so I did back then.

I was the first to get to the said room, I pulled a chair and sat, alone, taking the papers I had to read for the mission and slowly starting to think about our objectives.  
As I read those words, my mind wandered, lost in thoughts.  
Sometimes I had this impression...that everything was just a long, realistic nightmare. I couldn't believe I was 300 years in the future.  
I confess certain things would amaze me, others would make me lose all my hopes about humankind.

About ten minutes had passed when a middle aged man entered the room. I quietly and quickly moved my eyes in his direction, hoping he wouldn't notice me or try to get involved.  
My situation in the Star Fleet was complicated. Even if I was a commander and had certain authority over certain officers, I would be constantly watched by others. If I did anything they didn't like, they would have the excuse to harm me in any way they wanted as long I was kept sane and alive.  
Losing my sanity wasn't a choice...otherwise Marcus would just replace me with another from my crew...and if there was something I wanted...was to spare my family from any suffering.

If you're currently sitting inside you comfortable home, with those you love nearby, with the food you like at your disposal, just having fun... know, my dear human, that it is very easy for you to simply judge me and my story.  
Those I loved the most could die any moment...I could be executed any moment...I was living in fear...a fear I had to bury inside myself for very long...

The middle aged man sat two chairs away from where I was, a boy had walked in with him, he wasn't older than ten I thought and he seemed to be the man's son.  
The kid sat one chair away from me. I pretending to be completely into the documents I was holding, but my eyes were watching both of them with attention, it was one of those rare occasions I had direct contact with other humans, observing them for a while would help me to stay away from madness for the time being.  
I noticed the boy had a device in his hands, something that sounded to be a portable video game. That quite called my attention, it was a 300 year futuristic device for me, even if just a toy for the young human.  
As the man took his file and started to read, the boy turned the device on and started to play.  
Apparently, he was creating characters to use in the game, customizing them as he wished and testing them.  
He created one virtual warrior for him and continued to play...  
After the first level, the character he had customized was defeated...what made the boy grit his teeth and delete the character...  
Then he went to the game's menu and started to create another, as if they were simply objects...

I couldn't help but narrow my eyes. That was how humans were.  
Maybe it was then that I really understood what my existence meant for the humans, humans like you, my dear reader.  
That moment I felt a strong pain inside my chest...I felt my soul tear apart. That was what I was to their eyes...a test, a customized warrior who they would simply delete, without any mercy, if I didn't attend to their expectations.  
Oh...and you, my privileged human, still deeply believe I am the villain of my own life story...don't you?  
Independently of what you might think...the moment I saw that small little boy deleting a character because it didn't attend to his expectations, I felt the world had to be changed...and that once I me and my crew were free, we couldn't leave it as it was...  
I wonder if I will ever make my dream come true.

As time passed, more of the crew got to the room, sitting, reading what they had to read. A woman stopped by the door and the boy who had sat close to me left with her, probably his mother.  
Gladly none of the stared me in any particular way. They were in eight...there was still missing one person, one hour and a half until the beginning of the mission. Since I had already read the files I had to read, I decided to close my eyes for a brief moment since the only thing left was to wait.  
Once my eyes were closed, I was quick to fall asleep, into a light nap. My head was aching, my eyes were tired. The numbers and equations I had been working on for the last few days would stop passing in front of my eyes, even if all they were seeing was darkness during that rare moment of rest.  
Almost one hour had passed, I believe, when I opened my eyes again, and when I did, I confess I felt a quite uncomfortable sensation.  
A young woman was sitting in front of me, by the other side of the table, staring me deeply. She had a long wavy white hair and light golden eyes.  
At first I thought the worst, I thought she would complain about me closing my eyes for those calming minutes, but then I noticed she was a cadet and that there were no offensive intentions in her stare.  
As soon as my eyes met hers, she looked away, as if she was scared.  
She couldn't know about who I was...so why was she apparently afraid?

I combed my hair back with my fingers and took the file in hands once more, reading the main parts again to be sure I hadn't overlooked anything. Then I rubbed my eyes, oh that headache. I could feel the dark rings forming under my eyes, sometimes I felt my mind just wanted to black out for a moment, I was exhausted for so many reasons...

To my surprise, when I moved my eyes from the words I was reading, that woman was staring me again...  
She quickly looked away when she saw me looking, just like the previous time.  
That felt confusing, the last thing I wanted to do was to call anyone's attention, I really didn't want to be involved in any kind of trouble otherwise I knew I would suffer and wouldn't be able to react.  
And for the rest of that hour it was that somehow hide and seek game, she looking at me every time I wasn't looking at her.  
I confess I felt like an idiot a few moments, as if she was toying with me, I had no idea why she was doing what she was doing and the situation was slowly stressing me.

It was a relief when the time had come for us to get on board of the ship designed for the mission, that woman with us as part of the crew. I rolled my eyes to myself when I noticed her behavior hadn't changed even after we were already inside the spaceship.  
And I can tell you her behavior wouldn't change...until that unexpected event occurred...

What happened that day, I will never forget...


	2. Before the Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 finished!  
> I would love if you left a comment!

The ship was small, there was a bridge, the engineering, a common room with a table in the center and stairs that would lead to a sort of "basement" where they would put equipment in general.

I confess I had no idea of what kind of ship that was, nor its class, everything was so new to me...a 300 years technology gap...  
Worse than having to overcome that gap and learn everything so fast was not being able to ask people about it. If I somehow asked about something that was common knowledge or too obvious for humans from this era, I could raise suspection, I was a Star Fleet commander after all, there were many things I was supposed to know when actually I had no clue...  
I did not even know how to cook properly...even a child could do better than me when it came to such things, what revealed to be quite frustrating, because I had to pretend I knew. I had to pretend I knew everything...

Once I stepped inside the ship I already pictured how the trip would be. The pilots would be in the bridge, the rest would be sitting around that table discussing the mission, me included.  
That seemed good since I would not have to risk myself trying to use devices I still did not know about. I was learning, learning fast...but there were so many things yet to be learned, things most people considered obvious.  
I had not been only dragged away from my family...I had been dragged away from my own reality.

Quickly those assigned to the ship's bridge sat where they were supposed to sit, I walked to the main room and pulled a chair once again.  
I did not even get the chance to look to the sky as I wanted on my way to the ship, when I noticed I found myself reading all the paperwork again, trying to avoid any eye contact. Gladly they gave us papers, not digital information in those digital screens...I was still learning how to use them correctly.  
Seconds later I almost jumped when I noticed that white haired woman from before peeking what I was reading, a few centimeters away from my shoulder.  
My perception in general was so slow, probably because of the lack of sleep, I was so stressed...even when I could sleep I was simply too tense or worried to do it properly.  
I could not help but to stare that woman with surprise.

She just giggled and started to talk.  
"Hehehe sorry...I just...thought we could be friends. Daniela. That's the name! What about yours?"

Daniela was her name then. She seemed incredibly shy back then and now she was so jumpy, I could not understand, but even so, I tried to interact, doing my best to avoid getting involved or sharing any information that had to remain secret.  
"John Harrison, I..--"  
She interrupted.  
"A commander! Wow! Everyone here is a cadet basically...you know, just the Captain and the others in the bridge are experienced. We're just here to be sort of...a helping hand until you and the other two there get to the soooo special meeting."  
Her fingers pointed towards the other side of the table, there were two men talking almost quietly with each other. So they were also going to attend to the meeting Marcus ordered me to attend to. A meeting about the story of technology.  
"...a helping hand...?"  
I asked, trying to find out about more details. Daniela seemed so happy and filled with enthusiasm that I thought she would share every kind of information I needed to know.  
Just like I expected, she started to speak.  
"Well, a helping hand like...being your bodyguards and stuff...! Look at the phaser I got!! My first one hehe! I feel so powerful! No, just kidding."  
She pulled out a gun. So that was called "phaser". I had seen other officers carrying those guns...well, "phasers". They were indeed different from the weapons from 1970, instead of firing bullets they fired...some kind of laser? A beam of energy...? I had no idea of what those were exactly...but the way they worked seemed very similar to how ship weapons worked, they were particle weapons and could fire nadion particle beams. Argh I still had so much to learn...my head would ache to just think about it. Gladly I already knew more than enough when it came to the projects I was working on, improving every technology that fell in my hands.  
Wait...did she just say "bodyguard"...? She would be my bodyguard? She had just gotten her first phaser...

Then her voice again...  
"Hey hey! Say something! You're just so quiet and looking to the void...are you alright? Well, you sound terrible actually, you know, you look quite sick. You're not actually sick, are you? I mean, I hope not. Last week I had this cold that would make my head ache so much that..."  
Could someone please make her shut up...just for a moment...?  
That Daniela was starting to annoy me...if that was the social interaction I could get then I would prefer to remain alone inside a cell.  
"...well anyway, I'm 22, what about you? You look quite young...I mean, not that young...but...yeah. How old are you?"  
She stopped speaking and started to stare me with a motivated smile. Now she wanted to know my age. Great.  
What should I say? I'm over 300 years old now, sorry I lost account of how old I am?  
I confess I really wanted to say that to just unburden that sensation from my chest.  
"I am 37."  
I looked like 37, it was an acceptable answer.  
But for some reason her face got so surprised and she widened her eyes, my heart almost skipped a beat again...worried if I had said something wrong or that somehow revealed something about the secrets I had to keep.

Her lips finally moved.  
"NOOOOOOOO!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE 37 ALREADY! YOU LOOK SO YOUNG!"  
I face palmed, wishing the rest of the crew wasn't staring us, I really did not want to call attention.  
"I am 37, I am not lying...and could you please not shout?"  
I asked politely with my eyes closed. Every time she raised her voice my head would ache and I could do nothing about it.  
"Hey hey...you really sound sick...sorry for being so hyper, it is just that...you really look a nice guy! Here, have this! Chocolate. It will make you feel more energetic."  
She pulled out a small package and put it over my hand, which was resting over the table.  
I remained without action, and suddenly I had the chance to eat. Chocolate, something I knew what it was. Gladly.  
"Come on...stop making that cute lost face and just eat it already!!"  
Daniela giggled again.

I raised an eyebrow and took the small chocolate bar. She was observing me so much I felt uncomfortable, but I was already feeling weird because of the lack of food. Not that I minded really, while working in projects I would not spend much energy, but now that I was holding a chocolate bar....  
I turned to the other side and started to eat, her constant stare was putting me off.  
By the time I was done, I could already hear the ship's engines...it seemed my journey to the meeting was about to start.


	3. Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 finished!  
> Writing this is too much fun!  
> 

 

The ship took off in a surprisingly balanced way, I was expecting more turbulence from such a small ship but indeed, the times were others.  
I was looking up, waiting for a possible sudden shaking, my eyes moving from the right to the left as seconds passed.  
After the engines' noise almost disappeared, turning into a far constant whisper, I moved my eyes back to my hands, then to the side.  
Daniela seemed like an owl watching me.  
My eyes moved to hers, then back to the nowhere.  
She had a grin on her face, as if she was waiting for something.  
I sighed.  
"Thank you...for the...chocolate, Miss..."  
The young woman smiled widely, closing her eyes.  
"Just Daniela, please. Can I call you John? I mean...Mr.Harrison sounds so...so...so...so..."  
I rolled my eyes. She continued.  
"...just so...not you...I mean...I could call you commander but...things would be way too formal..."  
I put the plastic from the chocolate inside my pocket and crossed my arms over my chest to calmly speak.  
"Things are supposed to be formal."  
She moved her arms to the back of her head and smiled widely.  
"I knoooow....but you know...you're kinda too awesome and we're talking already...it would be so weird if I just went 'Mr.Harrison' this, 'Mr.Harrison' that, or 'what are the orders captain'...?"  
"Commander...I'm a commander, not captain."  
"Yeah...'commander'...nah...anyway...I still think you look too young for being just 37."  
Now she frowned and started to stare me.  
"I think you are like....30? 34 maximum..."  
I raised an eyebrow and now crossed my legs.  
"Weren't we supposed to be talking about this mission, Officer Daniela?"

The two men I had observed before were still talking to each other, so focused. Moving my eyes to the other corner of the table I could see young officers talking and smiling, by the other corner, two women discussing something apparently serious, pointing to a portable digital screen one had on her lap.

"HEY...HEEEY WHAT...JUST WHAT IS WRONG TO YOU?? I AM TALKING AND...AND and you just start looking to the other side...! That is RUDE, you know...I mean...I just gave you some chocolate you could at least talk to me properly!"  
I rubbed my eyes and started to pay attention in her once again.  
"I really don't know about this mission, Mr.Distracted, they just went like 'no because it will be your first mission in space and here is your phaser there is supposed to be no danger at all but even so...blah blah...some of the crew will be taken to a meeting and stuff'..."

It couldn't be helped, she would keep talking and talking...she simply seemed determined to fight over my attention during the whole trip...all I could do was to let out a confused, tired frown.  
Slowly my eyes started to feel heavy as she spoke...and then heavier...her voice slowly seeming farther and farther...

I fell asleep, to only woke up a few minutes later feeling a tickle on the top of my head.  
Slowly my eyes opened again.  
"What are you...doing....?"  
My voice wasn't that kind anymore, I was losing my patience.  
Daniela had both her hands over my head, I didn't move.  
"Since you won't talk to me...I decided to mess up with your hair so you will maybe not fall asleep while I'm talking to you, Mr.Sleepy."  
"...get your hands off my head..."  
She let go of the hair strand of mine she was holding and rested her back against her chair, facing me and pouting.  
I asked, looking up to see my bangs over my forehead.  
"Just how old are you....you...you are unbelievable..."  
I combed my hair back with my hands, still amused about Daniela's behavior.  
While compared to the other officers, she was completely...  
"Childish."  
"WHAT....I'm...I'm not childish...!"  
She frowned and stared me deeply.  
"You lied about your age...you didn't even thank me properly about the chocolate, you sleep when I'm talking..."  
Daniela was signing with her fingers as she numbered the reasons why she was mad.  
A sigh came out.  
"I did not lie about my age and... how long did I sleep...?"  
She pouted again.  
"Ten minutes or something. Dunno. Around that."  
"Ten...minutes...you...can't remain quiet for ten minutes..."

A wide smile appeared on her face once more.  
"Anyway anyway...can we talk about that hair..."  
"Hair...?"  
"That wonderful hair..."  
"What hair??"  
"Your hair, dummy! You keep combing it behind while it sounds so amazing like when it is all....graahh!"  
"Please define 'graaah'."  
"You know! When you have the bangs...it is awesome, you definitely should keep your hair like that, it makes you look younger, a lot younger and it hides your big forehead a bit, yeah."  
She smiled with satisfaction.  
"Where did you get that idea from..."  
"From my tests! While you were sleeping I---"  
"Yes, I have an idea of what you did in those ten minutes. Don't touch my hair again."

Daniela moved her hand slowly in my direction and pressed the tip of her finger against the top of my head.  
"Touched."  
Then she crossed her arms over her chest and just continued to stare me with a challenging expression.  
Minutes of silence.

That young woman was different from anyone I had ever met...her personality was so strong...so different.  
No one had ever approached me like that, I wonder what was behind those actions of hers. For some reason I could not get mad, for some reason I sensed there was a story behind her personality, which started to intrigue me.

"Hey Mister Commander..."

My eyes were almost closing again when I heard her voice, obviously not angry anymore.  
"You just say...'commander'."  
I spoke slowly, my eyes struggling to remain open.  
"Commander...so, there is this...this thing...you know..."  
"No, I do not know...please be more specific."  
"I don't know! This....this thing in you that..."  
My left eye opened while my right one remained closed as I rested my elbow over the table, my jaw over my hand, I still trying to keep my posture as correct and firm as possible.  
"...that what...?"  
I asked, curious. Daniela continued to speak.  
"There is a thing in you...I don't know what it is...but...it sort of...makes you magnetic."  
"Magnetic...?"  
"Yeah...I mean...I have no idea of what it is...but when you're among the other officers there is just...this thing about you that...calls a lot of attention. You...I....meh, I have no idea what it is really...but it is that way."

My left eye closed and I took a deep breath.  
"I think that is just in your head."  
I couldn't see her face, I could see only the dark.  
"Yeah Commander...I guess...it must be just my head."  
A pause.  
"No....no way it is just in my head...it is true...it really is...like, when you were sleeping, the others would look to you with you know, quick glances...and...oh, that woman there kept staring you for like almost one minute!"  
"Don't point..."  
"How do you know I'm pointing...? Your eyes are closed..."  
"I just know...."  
"OH WELL."  
I could hear she lowering her arm.  
"I think it is your eyes, they are...different."  
"..."  
"...they are so...intense. As if...you were so...I...I have no idea how to describe...it is just...when I look at them...I feel like...you're in an endless agony...and...you look so tired...what...what happened to you?"

I felt a shiver, she was starting to touch a subject I didn't want to talk about. A subject I couldn't talk about.  
"I just could not sleep enough, that is everything."

Her voice seemed slightly sad. I would rather define...lonely.  
"If I let you sleep...will you be my friend?"  
She asked innocently.  
I opened both my eyes slightly to see her insecure face, her eyes now looking away from me, to the other corner of the room.  
"I will consider."  
My eyes closed and I started to rest, without early interruptions this time.  
It would be a three hours trip, if I got to rest thirty minutes, I would be satisfied.

If I only knew what tragedies awaited me that same day...


	4. Cornered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 completed!  
> If you want to share your opinion, leave a comment ^^

 

I closed my eyes to rest.  
After a few minutes, there was a sudden turbulence in the ship.  
We were already in space by then.  
There was a brief blackout, then another and another until everything remained dark, only the small emergency lights would shine over the floor.  
"Magnetic interference...?"  
I asked myself, looking around trying to figure out what was happening.  
Daniela's eyes widened, she grabbed the phaser and frowned, clearly she was alert. I was surprised when I saw her reaction since supposedly it was her first mission, but even with such attitude, I could hear her heartbeat, so accelerated, scared clearly.

A loud noise, then silence.  
No one knew what was happening, we could barely see the main room.  
The officers started to talk, wondering what was going on.  
"Did we hit something...?"  
"No, I think it was a problem in the engines or something."  
"I think we hit something."  
"What the hell is going on?"  
"I'm going to the bridge to ask."

If we had hit, we probably would be dead since the ship's speed was high and it was not very resistant against impacts. If it was a problem with the engines, there wouldn't have happened a blackout of the sort since the source of energy worked independently.  
Daniela already knew what was happening. I think everyone already knew, but didn't want to believe.  
She was scared, holding the phaser tight.  
It was an attack.

An officer came to the main room, apparently to explain what was happening.  
"Everyone please remain calm, we stopped, there was an huge interference, the main reactor stopped, we are trying to solve the problem..."  
Everyone would stare the man, anxious for information.  
"Why the hell did we stop?? Weren't we in the middle of space? There is no damn reason to stop!!"  
The woman wearing glasses stated.  
She was right.  
And that meant only one thing.  
It was not the ship's captain who had ordered our transport to be stopped...but something else had stopped us...forced out stop.

Another sudden noise and the shaking started.  
Those standing fell to the floor, me and Daniela leaned against the table.  
A young officer started to shout in despair.  
For a moment I thought my journey would have ended there, but I was wrong.  
Again, after the seconds of noise and shaking, an huge silence, everything so quiet.  
Daniela's breathing got faster and deeper, like everyone else's inside our ship.  
Only I remained calm, even if my heart was starting to race as well, preparing me for a possible combat.

The main door started to open slowly. If that was happening, it meant we were inside another ship.  
Someone had kidnapped our small space transport, disabled our main electric functions and now they were opening the door.  
Of course we would be in disadvantage, whatever was happening.  
The women and men who were going to attend the meeting, just like myself, stayed behind the officers, who pulled out their phasers and stood before the opening door.  
Daniela was about to do the same, but I grabbed her arm and dragged her down so she would hide behind the table just like I was doing.  
There was no point in attacking if we had no idea of what awaited us.  
We had to wait and see, analyze, think and then react accordingly, if possible, otherwise everyone would get killed.  
It seemed the officers of our ship thought differently, what brought the crew only disgrace.

But once the door opened, there was no shooting. I could not see them, but I could hear them, those who had kidnapped our ship.  
"We will be brief...there doesn't need to be any shooting and stuff..."  
It was the first thing their "leader" said as they stepped into the main room.  
The officers were pointing the guns towards them, I could not see at the time, but apparently there were enemies pointing guns to our crew as well.  
"Lower the phasers, please...we have no intentions of killing anyone here...don't make us do that, we're completely capable of it for the record."  
The man giggled.

Daniela's face looked frightened.  
"Space pirates!"  
She whispered to me.

"Let me explain everything..."  
Our kidnapper continued to talk, me and Daniela still hidden behind the table.  
"We were peeking some conversations and files and stuff...from the Union...and we heard about this...Section 31. You know, I thought it wasn't important at first...but a rumor came out about...something that would give me lots and lots of money.  
Me and my congrades...found out...that the cure for cancer would be aboard this very ship...I also heard you all were going to some sort of meeting...is this about some kind of new technology, is it?"

It was clear water rumors about Section 31 had escaped from Marcus' hands. Someone was selling information, and it had reached those who seemed to be "space pirates". Obviously the information they had was limited. Even if they knew about our ship's route, they didn't know much about the "cure for cancer" they mentioned.  
I obviously knew about it.  
It was me.  
Probably the information they got came from the sector that was experimenting on my blood, so they didn't know about me but clearly knew about the "cure for cancer" that had been obtained.

Of course that the Section 31 would never release such information to the public. It was secret and the world would want to know the source of such cure and eventually, they would find out about me and my crew...something Marcus definitely did not want.

"So? Where is it? The cure for cancer, where is it, uh? I want it."  
The criminal demanded.  
An officer raised his voice.  
"We have no idea of what you're talking about! There is no such a thing!"  
"Oh....? Do you think I'm stupid...uhnm? Do you think I came here for nothing?"  
The kidnapper crabbed the officer's chin.  
"Do you want me to shoot you? Uhn? Where is the cure? Where is the damn medicine? I know it is here, it has to be here, it was obvious from the information we got! Where is it? I'm quite sure it is a small bottle or a petri dish, something of the sort!"  
He signed to the other outlaws to search the ship.  
Then the pirate hit the officer's face hard, very hard by the sound of it, what made the others from our crew start to open fire, and the shooting started.  
More of the pirates came into our ship after the shooting noises.

First there were ten in our crew plus the officers...now there were only six. The armed officers fell one by one, the criminals were too many and as long as we were cornered inside that small ship, it would be impossible to react.  
The four which were going to attend to the meeting surrendered since they were unarmed, me and Daniela were still quiet behind the table, she still holding the phaser tightly.

"SATISFIED? NOW, TELL ME WHERE IS THE DAMN CURE FOR CANCER!!"  
The criminals didn't even get to search the ship as commanded because of the shooting, we were still safe. For that moment.  
It was obvious those four didn't know about the "cure for cancer", they didn't know what I was, even if we were in the same mission, going to attend to the same meeting.

Desperate tears started to roll down from Daniela's eyes. She was still quiet. The frown in her forehead showing confusion. She also didn't know about what the criminals were demanding.

If we attacked from that position, we certainly would have been shot. If we remained there, they would eventually find us.  
Even me being an augment with superior combat skills, if I was shot in the head I would collapse and blacking out for a few seconds would be fatal since they probably would keep shooting me until I died.

We were cornered.


	5. Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I hope you'll like it!

 

I had four options: remain where I was, attack, quietly run to the bridge, which was empty, or run to the small stairs that leaded to where supplies and equipment were kept.  
As my head kept thinking about the possibilities, Daniela would quietly peek the criminals, who were trying to get information from the other four crew members. There was shouting and punches could he heard.  
She was frightened, but her hands still held her phaser tightly.

Since soon they would search the ship, I had to move quickly: I decided the best option was to dash to the small metal stairs and see if there was a way to the engineering so I could try to activate the main engines again, manually, if they hadn't been severely damaged.  
My head slowly planned a way out from that situation.  
There were only a few pirates inside our ship...if I managed to close and lock the door again...whey would be stuck inside our ship's main room and I would be able to take them down all by myself since they were just in five.

It was time for action.

"Daniela...stay here, don't try anything foolish, just stay here."  
I whispered firmly, she gave me an anxious nod and remained quiet.  
Then, I slowly sneaked to the small stairs, it was very dark, but still possible to see because of the emergency lights on the floor.  
There were boxes with supplies. I continued to walk, hoping the criminals would keep their attention in those four civilians while I tried to solve the problem.  
Soon I noticed a metal door, the access to the engineering, perfect. I did my best to open it silently and moved through the narrow corridors until I got to the main engines' emergency panels, it was possible to control the ship's energy system from there.

My theory was correct, they had used some sort of magnetic interference to disable the automatic electric functions, meaning that in order to move our small transport again, all the functions would have to be set to manual.  
Gladly my superior intellect could allow me to pilot in such difficult conditions, observing certain parts of the ship's interior it was possible to deduce how the controls worked and one of my skills consisted in learning fast, specially when it came to engineering related things.

I pulled the central red lever, switching the controls to manual, the energy sources restarted, the ship's lights and functions were active again.  
Quickly, I pressed the emergency button, what closed and locked the ship's door in a fast intimidating movement.  
By the noises, it was clear those five criminals got stuck inside our ship, they would keep asking what was happening with a quite nervous tone of voice.  
I started to make my way back to the main room, passing by where the supplies were stored again, I took a metal plate that was resting along with the food supply and moved to the stairs.  
The men were indeed panicking...hitting our ship's door trying to get out.  
They were distracted...it was perfect.

I still had a few minutes until their commander could be informed of everything...I had to be fast to guarantee our escape before they could disable our systems again.  
When I got to the main room, Daniela looked at me with wide surprised eyes, she was still behind the table where I had ordered her to stay.  
"Attack now!"  
It was everything I said as I run towards the five desperate space pirates, the four civilians from our crew looked at me, surprised, scared as I advanced like a beast upon our enemies.  
I lifted my left leg, kicking the first enemy's chin as he quickly turned to face me, he collapsed probably without knowing what happened.  
The second tried to use his phaser, but I reached it before he could fire, took it from his hand and smacked it against his face, making him fall unconscious.  
Daniela fired the third pirate, who also fell.  
The fourth started to shoot me, hitting my chest and left shoulder.  
A normal human would have fainted in the first impact, but I continued to move, and kicked his stomach hard enough to make him black out.  
The fifth, the leader, had already stepped away and was aiming to shoot my head with his phaser, just like I had predicted he would, after all, he was the smarter one from those bandits.  
It was then that I lifted the metal plate I had taken to protect my head. I could feel the impact of the shots he was firing against the plate, but they didn't cause any damage. I continued to move towards him protecting my head and when I reached a certain distance, I threw my weight against him, making the pirate collide violently against the wall.  
I dropped the metal plate and the phaser I had taken from the other enemy and grabbed the man with my own hands, twisting his wrist so he wouldn't be able to shoot anymore and punching his face to knock him unconscious.

Silence.

Everyone was staring me with terror as I was done, except by Daniela who was staring me with awe. It was possible to hear the other criminals trying to get into our ship from outside, obviously they wouldn't make it.  
"Make sure they stay down."  
I ordered Daniela again, she quickly pointed her phaser towards the unconscious pirates, clearly alert and ready to shoot in case they moved.  
"You four, get the phasers from the floor and arm yourselves! Don't let those criminals wake up."  
I ordered the four civilians who were staring me, scared.  
The woman wearing glasses was the first one to react, he started to take the phasers and give them to the other three.

Noticing they did obey me, I rushed the bridge, empty, and sat on the captain's chair.  
After scanning the main panel with my eyes, I activated the controls manually and prepared the ship's weapons.  
After a few seconds they were charged and ready to use. I fired the metal door which closed the hangar, opening a wide hole in it, it was possible to see the space once more.

The criminals who were in the hangar trying to get into our ship?

They were sucked outside into deep space.  
I started the turbines and piloted our small ship into its way out, accelerating, moving the fastest possible. We had to move away from that huge ship before it could have the chance to capture us once more.  
Once we got some distance from it, I noticed the ship that had kidnapped us was a Constitution Class, a Class One heavy cruiser, capable of warp mode, typical front-line Starfleet vessels, stolen and modified by those criminals probably.

My heart skipped a beat. I had no idea of what our ship was and it seemed it wasn't capable of entering warp mode, meaning the chances we had to escape those criminals were quite small.  
We were still far from a safe territory where those pirates wouldn't dare to enter, but for our luck, a zone of floating asteroids was very close.  
The only chance we had to escape was entering it. Our ship was small, theirs was huge, if they tried to follow us into such a dangerous zone, they would take a lot of damage and wouldn't be able to move in high speed while we would easily move between the asteroids.

If their objective was to find "the cure for cancer" inside our ship, obviously they wouldn't shoot us, my eyes narrowed when my mind was finally sure of what I had to do.  
I started piloting our ship right into the middle of those floating rocks as fast as I could.  
Soon the alarm started to make an alert noise, we were finally inside the dangerous asteroid zone.

Our radars could still detect that pirate ship far away, it had stopped right before entering the same asteroid zone.  
I was relieved, turned off the alarm manually and continued to pilot through the huge asteroids, that now where all around us.  
But there was a problem, a red light started to shine in the main screen.  
The damage we had taken from when the kidnappers captured our ship plus the constant acceleration I had used caused the main engine to overheat, the only way to solve the problem so we would be able to keep moving was to turn the engines off and wait until the cooling system normalized the ship's conditions.  
I slowly guided the ship into a rift between two gigantic static asteroids where it was dark and we would be well hidden.  
The ship had a stealth system, if the main engines were turned off and such system was activated, the small transport could go unnoticed by normal radars.  
The weapons were a great disappointment though, they would overheat fast, I still had to wait ten minutes or more before using them again. Gladly they had been enough to open a hole from the inside to the outside in the modified Constitution Class ship that had captured us minutes ago.

I had leaded us to an escape successfully, but we were still in danger...we would still be as long as we weren't in a Starfleet safe territory.  
When I thought I would have the right to relax for a few minutes, I heard loud noises coming from the main room, phasers firing.  
I quickly stood and started to make my way towards where everyone else was.

More problems...more surprises about the cruelty of humankind...


	6. Commander

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally another chapter completed!  
> I hope you'll like it.

 

When I got to the main room, the four civilians and Daniela were staring to the criminals I had taken down minutes before.  
As soon as Daniela saw me, she rushed closer.  
"Commander! They....they...!!"  
I frowned in confusion and tilted my head trying to understand what was happening.  
One of the men from the crew was holding a phaser against one of the pirates, who was spread on the floor, clearly lifeless.  
The same with the other pirates.

I took a deep breath and calmly asked.  
"Why did you kill them? I knocked them out precisely to not kill them."  
The man was desperate.  
"THEY WOULD HAVE KILLED US WHEN THEY WOKE UP! THEY WOULD HAVE ATTACKED!!"  
I rubbed my forehead.  
"If you all followed my orders taking all the phasers and watching each one of the criminals, you would have complete control of the situation."  
The man was shaking while holding that phaser.  
"You are different from us! You are a soldier...and we are just...WE ARE JUST DOCTORS AND...AND TEACHERS AND...!"  
His hands were shaking too much, I quickly took the phaser from him in a swift movement, what made him jump back and press his back against the ship's wall, so scared.  
"You could have fired this by accident due to your panic, you will not hold phasers from now on."  
I ordered, the man just continued to stare me, scared.  
"Someone calm him down otherwise he will risk the safety of the whole crew."  
The woman with glasses and the older man, even if nervous inside, calmly held the panicking gentleman's arm, sitting him down.

I crouched and checked the pirates. All dead.  
"He shot them all..."  
Daniela seemed quite nervous as well as she started to speak.  
"Yes...he shot them all...but...we...we are all scared and they...they are criminals...they tried to kidnap our ship, they shot the other officers...now the only soldiers here are you and me and I'm not even a proper soldier..."  
I moved my eyes right into hers, giving her a firm, cold stare, hoping she would stop allowing anxiety take over her and listen.  
She went quiet as I expected.  
"We could have gotten information from at least one of them, we could have asked where they got the information about the 'cure for cancer' they were after, we could have asked them how they stole that Star Fleet Ship, we could have learned so much about our enemies!"  
She shook her head.  
"And what about it? What would it solve? What difference would it make?"  
I sighed.  
"We are safe for now...but those pirates are still out there, ready to attack as soon as they see an opportunity. With information we could have found out who was selling information for them, we could have found out if they are alone or not and we would be able to inform the officers in the Star Fleet base that one of their ship is being used as a pirate ship!"  
She went quiet.  
I continued to stare.  
Silence.  
Her lips finally moved.  
"You...you're right...you...you're so intelligent...how can you be so intelligent? I mean...you got us out of that ship...you managed to pilot this one to a safe place...after you found a way to make it work again..."  
"I just had to change the ship's functions from automatic to manual."  
"But even so! If you hadn't ordered me to hide I would be dead! Like the other officers! And...you...you're not even a pilot, how could you take control of the ship commands so easily...? It takes years to learn!"  
I broke eye contact and started to walk by the middle of the room.  
"I'm a commander in an engineering related section, I develop ships so it is natural for me to know how they work, Daniela."  
She went quiet once again.

Now the woman with glasses stood from her chair, the other men still calming the panicked one from our crew.  
"If you are from an engineering section, then how come you're so specialized in combat? You took five men down...alone! I mean, officer Daniela shot one of them, but even so...you...you jumped over them and...normally guys from the engineering can't fight like that!"  
"I can."  
I answered bluntly. It wasn't the time to talk about me, it was time to talk about the situation, but they didn't seem to understand.  
Now the other man stood, the one who would remain quiet almost all the time.  
"You were shot, weren't you? Did you get hurt, son?"  
"My conditions are perfectly fine."  
The woman with glasses raised her voice.  
"I saw it too! I thought I was mistaken, but now that you mentioned...you...you were shot! Twice! How are you even standing? Their phasers weren't set to stun! You...you should be...dead..."

I couldn't help but to frown and stare offensively.  
Things weren't going as they had to. I had just saved the crew and they clearly weren't trusting me.  
"But I am not. And as you can see, I am in conditions to pilot."  
"Yes, but how?"  
Daniela asked.  
"How can you be okay after being shot? Don't you feel pain?"  
"Of course I feel pain."  
The calm man approached and touched my shoulder.  
"Listen son...you don't need to pretend you're completely fine, I'm a doctor who worked for years in star ships and I know you can't be alright after being shot by one of those..."  
I stepped back the second after, making sure he wasn't touching me anymore.  
Why do people like to touch? I already had enough of that attitude for a lifetime.

I started to speak again, making sure my expression and voice were powerful enough to regain their attention the way I wanted.  
"I am feeling pain but I was trained to resist and now we have more important things to discuss.  
Now, I need to know what is inside this ship, I need to know what each one of you can do and I need you all to remain calm and follow my orders."  
The woman with glasses frowned and crossed her arms over her chest.  
"Why?  
"Because if you do not follow my orders, the entire crew will be killed."  
That convinced them to finally listen.

I pulled a chair to the center of the room and sat, making sure everyone was looking at me.  
"Identify yourselves, informing name and specializations."  
The woman with glasses still kept her arms crossed.  
"I'm Cynthia. I work with weapons."  
I moved my eyes to the calm experienced man.  
"I'm Arthur. I'm a doctor."  
Then my eyes moved to the middle aged man who was helping the panicked one seconds before.  
"I'm Andrew, I'm a teacher in the academy."  
Finally I looked to the scared one.  
"...L...Lucas! I'm a teacher as well."  
I moved my hand to my chin, thinking.

"I'm Daniela and..."  
"I already know who you are, Daniela, you don't have to say it again."  
"But the others should know too..."  
"They already saw what you can do and currently I am the one who has to know who can do what."  
Cynthia let out an ironic laugh.  
"Ohhhh...we have a mister rude in here. You think you're better than everyone, don't you?"  
I moved my lips and narrowed my eyes.  
Of course I was.  
Daniela then decided to ask again.  
"Hey, John..."  
"Commander."  
"Commander...so...what now? I mean...why did we stop? Why aren't we trying to call for help or why aren't we moving?"  
I rubbed my eyes.  
"As you all know, I fired against their hangar door and guided our ship into our escape the fastest I could, that caused the engines to overheat. In order to keep the ship working, we were forced to stop."  
Now Lucas decided to question.  
"And...w...why aren't we calling for help?? How long are we going to stay here??"  
"We aren't calling for help because we need keep the engines and our communication system off-line in order to conceal our ship. As soon as the engines cool down we will ask for help."  
"WHY THE HELL WE CAN'T ASK FOR HELP NOW??"  
The man was losing control again, the doctor already moved to keep him calm down.  
"We currently are not asking for help in order to keep us concealed. To ask for help, I would need to turn on the communication systems, what would reveal our location to the enemy ship's radar. Our stealth functions only work when our current conditions are met and since we cannot move right now, revealing our location would be deadly."  
Daniela's eyes widened.  
"What do you mean?? Deadly?"  
"Yes, deadly. I guided this ship into the middle of an asteroid zone so those criminals would not race after us...but that does not mean they cannot enter this zone. They did not come after us because they know that using high speed in the middle of an asteroid field would be fatal...but if they find out about our location and about the fact that we are stopped...they could decide to enter this zone, what would be deadly for us."

Silence.  
My decisions had been explained, the reasons were clear, there was no motive for them to doubt my capacity as a commander, now acting as their captain.  
"The pilot, the captain...all the officers except Daniela and myself are dead. I believe I am the only one who can pilot this ship and guarantee our safety, so do follow my orders, it is the most logical decision to be taken."

Cynthia adjusted her glasses and combed her long brown hair over her shoulders, as if thinking.  
"Alright commander, so tell me, why did you allow your officers to die against those pirates?"  
She was trying to find reasons to not trust me and I had to convince her to do the opposite.  
"I was not assigned to this ship as a commander, but as a civilian only, like the teachers and the doctor. I only came to attend to the meeting, meaning those officers were not under my command. They had their own commander who failed to protect them."  
She tilted her head.  
"Alright, so what are we going to do now?"  
I started to answer, keeping my voice in a calm tone.  
"For now, we will wait the ship's engines cool down. Once we will be able to move, we will establish contact with the nearest Star Fleet base and inform our condition. I will do my best to guide our ship towards the safe zone as fast as I can."  
Cynthia shook her head.  
"Wait wait wait...! Why can't we just wait here in this safe spot until help come to get us?"

Oh, she was so blind...  
"First of all, this place is not safe. If those pirates find out we are here, we will be doomed. Secondly, our oxygen supply will not last forever. We cannot rely on their help alone otherwise we risk running out of air. Third, if we remain here, the crew will start to panic, what might cause chaos. If we move, the psychological stimulus of making progress will keep the crew united and motivated to avoid any sort of conflict."  
She giggled ironically again.  
"You sound like a little robot speaking, you know that? Fine for me, we wait until we can move and get out of here as soon as we can. So, how long do we have to stay here?"  
I frowned slightly at her comment.  
"Forty minutes until we can move.  
I will go down to the engineering to make sure there are not any other problems, Daniela, do now allow anyone to enter the bridge. This ship must remain like this for forty minutes, understand?"  
She gave me a firm nod.  
"Understood, commander!"  
I felt strength in her spirit.  
"If anyone try to get in, shoot to stun.  
Teachers, when possible, organize the main room again, putting the chairs and bags in place so our transit inside the ship won't be interrupted. Doctor, check the rest of the crew and treat any possible wound."

Lucas started to shake slightly again, stopping only when the doctor went to calm him down.  
Cynthia would keep staring me.  
"Instead of looking at me like that, go check the weapons, we might need to use them again."  
I spoke as I started to walk towards the small stairs again, stopping at her comment.  
"Commander..."  
She was speaking ironically.  
I turned to face her.  
"...I hate guys like you."  
I continued to make my way down to the engines, not saying a word.  
Daniela frowned slightly to the woman and continued to hold her phaser tightly, guarding the entrance to the bridge.  
While Cynthia would have that sharp stare apparently not approving my actions, Daniela, Lucas, Andrew and Arthur seemed to have trusted me.

I finally went to the engineering and started checking the systems, searching for any damage the ship could have suffered.  
At last a moment just for myself.

I hoped that leaving the crew for ten minutes alone had not been a mistake...


	7. "Engineer"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this brand new chapter, Khan will check the ship's engines and try to conquer Cynthia's trust, who researched about him in the Star Fleet database, finding out contradictions that could be fatal...  
> Just 15 minutes until the engines cool down, the critical moments approach...

 

One of the intercoolers of the impulse engines had stopped working, meaning the corresponding impulse engine had to be removed, otherwise it would eventually overheat and damage the ship.  
Since there were nine engines like that and a central one, removing a secondary one would not be a problem.  
I knew we were not safe. If the pirates located us and decided to enter the asteroid field we would be doomed. That is what I thought at the time, but I had no idea only hell awaited us.  
  
I pulled a tool crate close and started removing that heavy metal box that was the secondary impulse engine, it was as big as a man's torso. If overheated, the damage it could cause would be fatal.  
Weeks before, I had studied how those worked. They were also part of the ship's self destruction system, if they were set to overload, a violent explosion would occur.  
That secondary engine had a blue fusion reactor attached under it. Each engine had one of those plus a big central one in the heart of the ship.  
  
Time was passing, I had already dismantled that engine, all I had to do back then was to make sure to interrupt any power transference for that specific section.  
Gladly I already knew about how engines worked. Such an advanced technology if compared to what existed 300 years ago, back in my days.  
The reactor worked by the annihilation of Deuterium and antimatter, phenomenon that produced energy. Unfortunately the power of our ship was way inferior than the usual vessels used by the Union. We could not enter warp mode, something our enemies could.  
I turned the reactor off. Even if it was still functional, it was useless now that the corresponding cooler had stopped working. I had tried to fix it, but there would not be a way to do so since new parts would be required, something we did not have on board.  
  
I did not detect any other problems. Considering how our ship had been kidnapped with all the shaking and lateral impact, the damage had been small compared to what could have happened. If the central reactor had been compromised, we would have been left with only the emergency reactors, that would not have been enough to keep the ship working properly since the automatic controls were broken.  
  
The maintenance was completed. I was about to stand when I heard a familiar voice.  
It was Cynthia.  
"What the hell did you just did? You removed one of the engines? Are you kidding me? Didn't you get we are trying to escape those freaking pirates? This will reduce our speed by around 10%! If we were screwed before, imagine now! Put that engine back!"  
I shook my head.  
 _"The corresponding cooler is gone, if I put it back, it might overheat and damage the ship."  
_ Cynthia stared me silently and then crouched beside me, examining what I had just done.  
I pointed to where the cooler was and took it to show her.  
 _"Look. See this connection? It is gone. Directly damaged by the lateral impact we suffered. Even if the cooler was operational, its connection to the engine is ruined."  
_ She adjusted her glasses and took her fingers to her lips as if thinking and analyzing what I was saying.  
"Yeah...true...it is impossible to fix with just what we have on the ship.  
But hey, can't this engine hang on until we get to the base? Do you really have to remove it?"  
I took the engine in my hands and started showing her.  
"It maybe could, but it is not worth risking it. If this engine overheat, the reactor attached to it could explode, what would damage the other engines plus our life support systems that is under us. See this material? It is very probably it will overheat before we reach our destination."  
  
The way she looked me was starting to change.   
I had to conquer her trust.  
 _"Cynthia, listen. I know I might seem extremely controller and...tyrannic but...I am just acting in such a way in order to keep us alive.  
If I do not take the control of the situation, the crew will commit mistakes and we will all die in those pirate's hands.  
I know each one of us is capable of dealing with our functions, Cynthia...but this situation...is really dangerous. I just hoped you would be mature enough to understand that and simply accept my actions."_  
  
She let out a long sigh and started to speak, her voice so different from before.  
"Sorry if...I told you those things before. It is just that...there is a lot of...weird stuff related to you."  
She adjusted her glasses again.  
I raised an eyebrow.  
 _"Weird...? Clarify, please."  
_  
She stood and closed his arms over her chest. _  
_"I read about you. I researched you in my tablet as soon as I saw you talking to the other girl. I researched everyone actually. It says you graduated in Economics. It also said...you survived the Tarsus IV tragedy...according to the data, you were supposed to be just 18 when it happened and...the database also said you lost your parents there...  
I think...that explains why you are so...quiet and...well. Even so...before the mission, I heard you saying you were 37, but the file clearly says you're 30...and...how do you know so much about Engineering if you studied Economics...?  
Also...it says you work in the Data Archive in London...that is so...nothing to do with the skills you have...  
I mean...you're a Lieutenant but...you just work with files...? It doesn't make sense, it doesn't make sense at all!"  
  
I took a deep breath. That woman...Cynthia...she was very clever. The first one who noticed that the fake information Marcus had created about me wasn't completely compatible with the role he was making me play.  
To make things worse, I still hadn't had the chance to read the database in question. I was so focused in creating the portable transwarp beaming device that each hour, each minute counted. That device would be my only chance to leave the underground facility without being noticed, the only chance to plan the rescue of my crew in a near future. I had just noticed that I had to be more careful, even when it came to details in the database about me. More headache. More stress.  
Now I had to justify the contradictions Cynthia had found. I did not want anyone suspecting about the Section 31 or about the functions Marcus had assigned me. I knew I could not allow such a thing to happen because I knew Alexander Marcus.  
Behind that façade there was a coward. If anyone suspected about me and found any evidence, Marcus would kill me and my crew, he would make sure to destroy our existence so he would get rid of all the proof about what he was doing.  
  
 _"Oh, did I say 37? I meant 30. I was a bit tired at the time, I probably made a confusion with another number when I revealed my age.  
About my Engineering technical skills...well, I did study Engineering, obviously, even if it is not in my database. Maybe because it is unrelated to my current function. It is written I work in the Archive, but that does not mean my researches are unrelated to Engineering."_  
  
My lies were convincing enough. In reality, Marcus was enslaving me, making me design weapons and starships while keeping my crew hostage, while humiliating me every time he had the chance in order to feed his disgusting superiority complex. The Archive was also just a façade, in reality, there was the Section 31 and for me, only pain.  
Cynthia's eyes now seemed to be showing compassion and regret.  
"Yeah...well, of course. I think I just...had this thing with you and started searching for things to disqualify you. Sorry about it. That wasn't professional at all."  
  
It seemed the way I explained her about the engine, calmly, patiently while she was agitated had made her rethink her actions.  
Once she saw how competent I was and how I was not reacting to her taunts, she started to treat me with more respect.  
  
 _"If you are here I assume you already checked the weapons. Any problems?"_  
She shook her head.  
"No, no problems at all. They just overheated. Just twenty minutes until the engines start working again so...I guess that the weapons will cool down until then as well. Nothing to worry about."  
 _"Good. Anything else to report?"  
_ Cynthia hesitated, but decided to ask more about me. _  
_"Nothing about the ship, everything is fine. I just...wanted to know...how did you resist being shot? You were shot twice and...and nothing!"  
I placed the engine on the floor and dragged it to a safe place. A normal adult man would be able to drag that metal box, so I dragged it while in reality, I could lift it as if it was made of plastic. I had to be very careful, the fact I was an augment had to remain secret.  
 _"I am just not showing the pain I am feeling, that is all, Cynthia. The shots just...grazed me."_  
"It didn't sound like they just grazed you! I mean, I saw! They hit you! Clearly!"  
 _"And what do you want me to do? I resisted. Maybe the phaser that shot me was not working at its best.  
It is not important, Cynthia. We have more important things to focus now."  
_  
She sighed again, gave me a calm nod and turned. _  
_"Come on...let's go to the main room. I think the coffee machine is still working, even after the shaking, let's have some coffee to relax a bit. We still got like...15 minutes, right? And you look damn tired. Ah, by the way, there is no way I'm calling you 'captain' or 'commander', alright? I'll just call you 'Harrison'." _  
_That picked my curiosity.  
 _"Why?"  
_ Cynthia laughed ironically. _  
_"Because my father was a commander...and eventually a captain. And you're not half the man he was." _  
"..."  
  
_ After all that conversation we had, the teasing continued it seemed. Fine. At least she had recognized my authority in the situation we were in, even if she did not want to show it. _  
  
"_ Come on, Harrison. The ship problems are solved, let's have some coffee. _"_  
I combed my hair back and followed.  
  


##  **TO BE CONTINUED...**


	8. Crew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is this brand new chapter, Khan gets to the main room only to find out there are more problems...  
> The time to turn on the engines and move finally arrived...
> 
> The image I used was an edit I made for the fic.  
> You can find more of my edits here: http://khanfanrp.tumblr.com/tagged/edits

 

I followed Cynthia, but when I finally got to the main room, problems.  
Lucas seemed to be panicking, more than usual.  
The doctor close to him, doing his best to calm the man down, but even the old, calm man seemed agitated himself.  
When my eyes saw the other man, Andrew, so close to Daniela, apparently discussing rather aggressively, I immediately approached them, Cynthia followed me.  
 _"What is the matter? What happened?"_  
Daniela moved her eyes to me and started to explain, her voice so scared.  
"He wants to get to the bridge and activate the panels! He is desperate to call for help! I don't wanna let him in but I also don't wanna shoot him!"  
  
I was disappointed. My order was to stun anyone who tried to enter the bridge without my permission, now that Daniela obviously hadn't stunned Andrew, the crew was starting to panic again. I knew that if that continued, I would lose my control over them, what could only result in tragedy.  
Andrew turned, now facing me.  
Before he could say anything, I calmly interfered.  
 _"I already explained the reasons why we cannot turn on the ship's navigation systems yet, in a very clear, logical way. Why do you want to do the opposite?"_  
The man shook his head nervously.  
"WE NEED TO ASK FOR HELP! WE CAN'T STAY HERE, WE ALL GONNA DIE! I..I ALREADY MISS AIR! WE WILL ALL SUFFOCATE!! WE WILL ALL---"  
Quickly I covered his mouth and nose with my hand, pressing it against his face hard enough so he would not be able to speak or breath. Andrew held my arm with both his hands.  
Lucas, who was about to have an attack finally became quiet, everyone was staring me.   
  
Perfect. Tension is more useful than panic, specially in that situation.  
I stared Andrew sharply, he widened his eyes in fear when I did so.  
Calmly, I spoke again.  
 _"There are no problems with the life support systems. We still have to wait a few minutes until we can activate the ship's engines once again and you will remain quiet until then, otherwise, those pirates will locate us, capture and kill us violently since they will not find what they are searching for. Is that what you want?"  
_ He shook his head in denial.  
 _"Good...I am quite sure no one wants that either, Mister Andrew. Now...remain silent...and take a seat."_  
He gave me a nervous nod, his eyes filled with fear as mine remained narrowed.  
I finally let go of his face, the man now breathing, scared, his legs shaking. Andrew quietly walked to one of the chairs, pale, and slowly sat, not saying anything else.  
  
When I moved my eyes to the rest of the crew, they looked away.  
The only one who kept eye contact was Cynthia. She was clearly impressed. Impossible to know what she was thinking at the time, her face, even if showing surprise, was clearly enigmatic, her eyes so focused in me through the lens of her glasses.  
  
I focused my attention towards Daniela  
 _"Are you alright?"  
 _She gave me a nod, still looking away, gripping the phaser with one hand, holding her arm with the other.  
I observed.  
There was a bruise.  
He had hurt her.  
I felt anger growing inside, took a deep breath and moved my eyes back to hers.  
 _"What happened, exactly?"  
_ She gulped and finally spoke.  
"I was guarding the door to the bridge and suddenly Lucas started having an attack...doctor Arthur was trying to calm him down when Andrew started to get nervous too...then he came to me and said he wanted to ask for help...call the Federation for help...then I said no because you had ordered me to keep everyone away from the bridge, but he started to insist...then he grabbed my arm and shook me and...and he kept saying it didn't matter cause you weren't here and...and you arrived..."  
Her eyes were teary.  
  
If I had to bet, she would be the next one to panic. The last thing I wanted was to have another member of the crew out of control.  
"Commander...how long until we can ask for help? How long until we get outta here?"  
She was looking me deep in the eyes, Daniela was so scared.  
I held both her shoulders slightly and crouched a bit, so there would not be any difference between our height.  
 _"Daniela...listen...  
Just ten minutes until he get out of here, alright? Everything will be fine, I promise you. Now, you have to remain calm."_  
"But...but you...how can I know everything will be alright? They're after us...they will get us and kill us, just like you said...I..."  
 _"Dani...we already managed to escape once. We took those pirates down all by ourselves, did we not?"_  
"Y...yeah..."  
 _"See? We can do it. We already did it. The hardest bit is already over."_  
"Ri...right, true. Sorry. I'm sorry...you...you're so scary...you're damn scary! It is not easy to remain calm while close to you!"  
She started to cry.  
 _"Do I look scary now? Do I, Daniela?"_  
I was doing my best to keep my voice down and calm.  
"N...no...you...you're okay now."  
She sniffed.  
 _"I am here to protect you, to protect the crew. We will get out of this situation alive, I promise."_  
"You promise?"  
 _"Yes. I do."_  
I finally let go of her shoulders, she rubbed her eyes and looked away.  
"You black coat makes you look scary...I don't like it at all."  
He mumbled while still rubbing her eyes.  
  
I stood again and sighed.  
 _"Fine, you do not like the coat..."_  
Then I removed my black coat and threw it over a chair.  
 _"You have to promise you will remain calm."_  
"I will. I'll remain calm, alright? I promise I will."  
I gave her a nod and moved my eyes to the device on my wrist.  
 _"Seven minutes until we can turn on the engines, Daniela, I want you watching those three. Cynthia, you will assist me in the ship's bridge, since you--"_  
She interrupted me by stepping in front of me, offering a small glass with coffee.  
"Hey, calm down there. Or did you forget about the coffee? Still seven minutes to go."  
I took the glass and looked away quietly. She was right. Rushing things was a bad idea.  
"Hey, mega badass angry captain, take a sit and stop a bit, okay? Otherwise you'll commit mistakes too. And if YOU commit mistakes, we're screwed."  
  
I walked towards the table and pulled a chair, sitting. Slowly I started sipping some of the coffee. There was sugar in it, what made me feel better, more energized.  
Cynthia then approached Daniela and wrapped one arm around her, as if trying to be friendly. She smiled to the younger one, that broke the tension Daniela was feeling as she returned the smile.  
"Daniela, right? Oh hey, don't need to feel nervous or anything, everything will be fine. I already went through worse situations, everything will be fine in the end."  
Cynthia would speak in a relaxed voice.  
The younger one gave her a shy nod.  
"Now, just between us, Dani, our little tyrannic captain has a nice butt, doesn't he?"  
Cynthia winked, I rolled my eyes and looked away.  
She continued to talk to Daniela, and then they started to giggle together.  
  
I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to focus only in my coffee, until Andrew interrupted and started apologizing for his actions.  
"Erm...sorry about that. I'm really, really sorry about that. I was...I was so stupid, I'm sorry, I just...I lost my mind and...--"  
 _"You hurt her."  
_ I stared him almost inexpressively. _  
_He went silent.  
I sipped some more of the coffee.  
 _"Do not do that again."_  
The man continued to look me with scared eyes.  
I just remained quiet, trying to ignore him, trying to enjoy those last minutes of peace. After all, no one could guarantee we would be able to escape.  
  
If I failed...I would lose my life...and Marcus would try to awake another one of my family. Some would not resist...and he would keep trying until one of them did. I could not allow such thing to happen. I had to protect them. I had to escape from Marcus and save my crew, wiping the Section 31 from existence in the process...I had to.  
I finally finished my coffee.  
Cynthia gave me a confident stare.  
  
It was time to move.


	9. Black Shark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The worst happened...and a new strategy is born...
> 
> The image I used was an edit I made for the fic.  
> You can find more of my edits here: http://khanfanrp.tumblr.com/

 

It was time.  
Calmly I took the glass I was holding and took it to a small counter by the corner of the main room.  
That was supposed to be the "kitchen".  
It might sound rather...strange for you, who are reading this diary, but that coffee made me remember sensations I thought I had long forgotten.  
Have you ever tried synthesized food? It is terrible. Most of it simply tastes like...something wet, without flavor, unsalted. I could even define it...as gross. The worst: I was used to it.  
Rarely Marcus allowed me to leave the Section 31. The few times he did, it was because I had been assigned to a mission, just like now, or because I had to go to the Archive, the great façade which hid the Section 31. Officially I worked there, so of course that periodically, there I had to be seen. Since it was an Archive, I would use those opportunities to search for files that could be useful for my work and also to breath different air, meaning that most of the days, I had to survive with just a food synthesizer.

One day I approached the glass door, trying to see the sky during one of my walks to the Archive, trying to dream about my freedom for a few seconds.  
That same day Marcus tortured me.  
The message was given. "Do not even dream."  
Even if Marcus would keep saying that once I gave him the projects he wanted he would let me and my crew go, his actions confirmed the opposite.

Now he had sent me to this mission...to attend to a meeting about the History of Weapons...  
At first it seemed he had sent me here to learn more about what I had to design for him...but I was almost completely sure that was a lie. Another façade, just like the Archive, just like my fake identity...."John Harrison". My name is Khan, and even that he stole from me.  
I was starting to think this "meeting" was much more  than just an event about History.  
Marcus never cared about helping me to cope with the 300 years technology gap. Why would he now?  
Things were simple for him. If I failed to design the weapons he wanted, he would kill me and try to revive another one of my family, and he would keep trying and trying...until he got what he wanted. We were 85.  
85 genetically modified humans...and now we were 73, with myself included.  
Twelve had already died. Some because they did not survive the awakening. Others because Marcus wanted to prove me how far he was determined to go.

That sip of coffee...made me remember how much I had lost.  
During those few minutes, so much crossed my mind. So much.

Cynthia and Daniela were both looking at me, waiting.  
I felt that my eyes seemed to be looking to nowhere. What we were about to do could be our way out of danger as well as it could be our leading door right into it.

I quietly made my way to the bridge. The rest of the crew was incredibly quiet. Tense.  
After so much noise they finally understood that if they did not follow my command, they would die. Either by my hand or by the enemy's.  
Obviously I would not kill any of them, but if there was something I was good at, it was at sounding intimidating. I made them believe I would. I made them fear me in order to keep them in control, otherwise chaos would reign over our ship and we would lose our lives in the end.

I sat on the captain's chair and took a deep breath. Then I placed my hand over the panel, ready to pull the lever to activate the engines...but...a sudden shiver crossed my spine. I felt it all over my back, until it reached my neck and there remained for a few seconds.  
Something was strange. Normally when looking outside, we could see floating asteroids and stars far away.  
But now...it was quite dark, darker than before.

Daniela was gripping firmly the hand I was using to hold the lever. She was shaking, panting, her eyes opened wide. I could even hear her heart, beating, racing.  
"D...don't...don't turn the engines on now....don't turn the engines on now..."  
Only fear in her voice, she seemed paralyzed.  
Slowly, she moved her head up, staring the ceiling of the bridge, which was made of an ultra resistant glass, just like the front of the bridge.  
I gulped and slowly looked up.  
My heart skipped a beat.  
The pirate ship...was right above us.  
 Moving slowly, quietly like a shark in a dark sea at night. It was obvious they were searching for us, otherwise they would have already spotlighted our ship or even teleported pirates into it to capture us once again.

That huge Star Fleet vessel was floating above us.  
Cynthia had just gotten to the bridge. Seeing that both I and Daniela were looking up, she did the same.  
It was instantaneous, she covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes widened in fear.  
Only the bridge's ceiling was revested with glass, meaning that it was possible to notice the enemy ship just from there.  
I did not believe the other crew members would notice the shadow of the enemy ship over us since they would probably think it was just an asteroid floating nearby.

I gulped again, my eyes still fixing the huge starship above our heads, not very far. I calmly spoke, my voice high enough for Daniela and Cynthia to hear, low enough to prevent the other crew members from hearing it.  
 _"Close the door that connects this bridge to the main room. Now."_  
One thing was certain. If those three men saw what we were seeing...it would be over. They would panic, making Daniela panic as well and eventually, Cynthia.

My eyes moved to the main panel again. If I had pulled that lever, the engines would have been activated and the pirates would have been able to detect us. I had almost killed us all. Gladly Daniela had stopped my hand. Very gladly.  
Otherwise I would never see my family again. I would never have the chance to at least try to save them.

  
"What do we do? Commander...?? What do we do???"  
Daniela grabbed my shoulder with both her hands and asked in an almost whisper.  
Cynthia approached by my other side and looked up again.  
"Harrison...we're right under those bastards...their life support system is..."  
I completed.  
 _"...right behind that nacelle."  
_ She looked right into my eyes.  
"It is our chance...we have to fire ...you opened a hole in the hangar with this ship's weapons, it must be enough to destroy their life support systems!"  
I shook my head.  
"Do not even think about such foolish move, Cynthia. When I shot their hangar opening that hole so I could guide out ship to our escape...it was a shot from the inside to the outside. The air pressure and the impact helped to increase the damage. In this situation, we are not close enough to aim properly and due to the distance, the damage of our weapons would be reduced.  
As you saw before, this ship's weapons overheat too fast, taking minutes to cool down, meaning that if we miss the shot or if we do not cause enough damage, we will be defenseless with no weapons, and worse, they will locate us."  
Cynthia frowned, now apparently mad at me.  
"Coward. You have the chance to attack and what do you do? NOTHING!"  
 _"I am not being a coward, I am being a strategist."  
_ "Strategist you say?? That ship is moving and soon their life support systems will be out of range!"  
 _"It was never in our range, Cynthia."_  
She shook her head.  
"Big ships like those only activate their shields if they're in the middle of a battle! If we strike them, he will hit!"  
 _"You are wrong."  
_ She pulled out the phaser she was holding, one she had taken from the fallen pirates and pointed it in my direction.  
"That's enough, get out of that chair!"  
Daniela moved to get her phaser which was by her waist but Cynthia pointed her in younger one's direction, taking some distance from me by stepping back.  
"Get out of that chair. Now."  
I stood and stepped back, still keeping my arm close to the console in case I had to refrain her from activating the weapons.  
"Now you will turn around and go to the main room with Daniela and you two will stay there with the others."  
I stared.  
She said it again.  
"This might be our only chance to get them with their shields off and I'm not going to waste it!"  
 _"Cynthia...you are wrong."  
_ I spoke with a calm tone of voice, trying to sound as convincing as I could. _  
_She frowned.  
"Why? Give me one reason. Tell me. Why am I wrong? Even from this distance, if our shot connects, their life support systems would crumble! They have their shields down, they're not in battle!! This is our only chance, tell me WHY DO YOU FUCKING THINK I AM WRONG!?"  
I calmly closed my eyes for a few seconds. Her shout still echoing in my ears, twice more perceptive than a normal human's.  
Slowly I opened my eyes again.  
 _"Look outside, Cynthia."  
_ She continued to stare me for a few more seconds when she finally decided to move her eyes towards the glass structure that covered the bridge. _  
_Then she looked back to me, still pointing the phaser.  
"What? What is it?? What is outside??"  
 _"Cannot you see? They are all around us. Even if it is dark, it is still possible to see them."_  
"See what??"  
 _"The asteroids, Cynthia."_

__Silence.

She finally understood. She was in shock.  
Slowly she fell on her knees and dropped the phaser. She noticed her choice would have killed us all, I could feel an huge despair growing inside her, I could see her trying to contain it.  
 _"You were correct when you said big ships like the pirate one only activate their shields when they engage battle...but if you look around...you will see that there are asteroids everywhere, Cynthia. I chose to enter this zone for one reason and one reason only._  
Their huge ship would not be able to evade all those asteroids...meaning that **if they entered this asteroid field and if they are moving, they must have their shields on** , otherwise, their ship would be suffering too much damage, even if moving this slow.  
Do you understand now, Cynthia? Do you understand that shooting them is a terrible idea? If we did so, their shields would contain most of the damage, they would locate us and capture us."

__Cynthia stood once again and still in shock, sat on a chair. _  
_"Damn it....damn it, you're too smart, how can you be so smart?? Damn it! What do we do now?? If we remain here, they will eventually find us because it was around here that our signal disappeared from their radars, when you activated the stealth mode. What do we do? What is your strategy? There is no way to escape them, even through the asteroids, they can be faster than us!! That ship is...is one of the Star Fleet vessels! Commanded by criminals, we'll stand no freaking chance!!" _  
_Daniela was just watching us, so tense, quiet. _  
"Wrong again."  
_ I calmly stated.  
She remained quiet as if waiting to listen to my plan. She hoped I had one, I could see it in her eyes, that shy faith in me growing each second more, she doing her best to deny it.  
 _"Look to their ship, Cynthia."_  
She looked up again, intrigued, lost, not knowing what she had to observe.  
 _"The ship's form...is a saucer."  
_ The woman shook her head. _  
_ **"Oh...really?? Really, Mister Genius, you are really telling me that the damn ship looks like a damn saucer?? THAT IS OBVIOUS!!"** _  
I remained apparently calm.  
"Look deeper."  
_She calmed down a bit and moved her eyes to the ship above us again. _  
_I explained. _  
"That ship might be faster than ours if it follow us from **behind**...but what if...instead of moving forward...we move **downwards**?"  
_ Her eyes opened wide again, I noticed she finally understood. __

_"If we dive in this asteroid field, they will have to turn their ship in order to follow us, what will buy us time.  
Look at their ship, Cynthia, it is like a dish. If we force them to move vertically, the damage they will suffer will be very high.  
According to my strategy, we could transfer the power from the weapons to our main engines so we will gain more speed and flexibility."  
_She bit her lips and adjusted her glasses. _  
_"If we do that, we won't be able to use our weapons..."  
 _"Our objective now is to run away, not to fight. Even if...there might be a way to take them down...but we will have to be patient."  
_ Daniela approached again, determined, as if an idea had cheered her up. _  
_"Of course we have a chance! Well, if they have their force field on and it lasts for around 10 minutes..." _  
"They probably took 2 minutes to get here...meaning their force field will last for 8 minutes now..."_  
I checked my wrist device, observing the time carefully.  
 _"We might do it if...yes. We might do it. Daniela, go to the main room, tell everyone to brace themselves. Cynthia, prepare to assist me. All the automatic functions are offline, everything will have to be manual, three times harder to pilot. I hope you are ready, otherwise...this will not work."_

__The second after, a strong white light illuminated our ship. They had detected us. _  
_Quickly I activated the engines _._

####  _"Cynthia, begin the power transfer now! From the weapons to the engines! We are about to move!"_

 

**Author's Note:**

> I would love if you left a comment!


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